Check out the latest happenings from fish biologists at the Columbia River Fisheries Program Office.

Tuesday, November 19, 2013

Fish Marking Team Wins Prestigious Columbia River Fisheries Program Office Team of the Year

Each year the fish marking crew is responsible for the
marking of over 30 million fish in the Columbia River Basin.This may mean simply removing the adipose fin,
inserting a coded-wire tag into the fish snout, or a combination of the
two.In addition, over a quarter million
fish are PIT tagged.

Mass marking refers to the removal of the adipose fin from
young hatchery fish before they are released into the wild.Removal of this fin identifies hatchery fish
from their wild counterparts.In
selective fisheries, hatchery fish may be harvested while wild fish must be
released unharmed.Federal law now
requires mass marking of most salmon and steelhead reared at federally funded
hatcheries.

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Pictured left to right: Jesse, Geoff, Dan, Darren, Pat, Steve, and James (Chuck is not present)

The team begins each year with a few PIT tagging jobs in the
Columbia River Gorge.By mid–February,
the crew starts their biggest single marking job at Spring Creek National Fish
Hatchery.They run three automated fish
marking trailers (2 shifts a day) for almost two months. Just to give you an idea about the enormity
of the job, about 12 million fish are mass marked at this hatchery alone.In addition, a small portion of those are
also being inserted with a PIT tag or coded-wire tag.

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PIT-tagging at Dworshak NFH

This team has been voted the CRFPO Team of the Year because
of their hard work and dedication.The
following saying was adapted from James Farley:Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays the marking
crew from the swift completion of their appointed duties.With that, Congratulations Fish Marking Team!

About the Columbia River Fisheries Program Office

The CRFPO was established in 1973. We conduct fisheries work throughout the Columbia River Basin. Aside from having one of the largest fish marking programs, other field studies include hatchery/wild fish interactions, assessment of fishes and tide gates, and restoration monitoring activities.